The death toll from the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar has now exceeded 1,000, according to the country's military authorities, agencies reported.
The earthquake, which hit the central city of Mandalay on Friday, sent powerful tremors across the region, reaching neighboring Thailand.
The disaster caused widespread destruction, with buildings collapsing, bridges being destroyed, and roads cracking throughout Myanmar.
The impact was also felt in Thailand, where a 30-storey skyscraper under construction in Bangkok collapsed, killing several people.
In response to the catastrophe, the Indian Air Force launched 'Operation Brahma' and sent a C17 aircraft with 15 tonnes of aid to Yangon on Saturday morning.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, confirmed the delivery of vital relief materials, including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, and medicines.
"Operation Brahma – India acts as a First Responder to assist the people of Myanmar affected by yesterday’s massive earthquake," Jaiswal wrote in a post on social media. "Our first tranche of 15 tonnes of relief material has landed in Yangon," he added.
The US Geological Survey’s Pager system, which estimates fatalities and damage, has projected that the earthquake could claim over 10,000 lives, although this remains an estimate based on factors such as the intensity of the quake and population density in the affected areas, as reported by the BBC.
Aftershocks have continued to shake Mandalay from Friday night through to Saturday morning, causing additional distress.
In a separate update, BBC Burmese reported that Myanmar’s former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under detention since the 2021 coup, was not impacted by the earthquake and remains imprisoned in Nay Pyi Taw.
Ongoing search and rescue operations are being conducted in both Myanmar and Thailand, where three people were killed when the Bangkok skyscraper collapsed.
Source: Agencies
BDST: 1250 HRS, MAR 29, 2025
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